1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present general inventive concept relate to an administrator terminal connected to an image forming apparatus and a client, an image forming system including the same, and a method to remotely install a driver, and more particularly, to an administrator terminal connected to an image forming apparatus and a client, an image forming system including the same, and a method to remotely install a driver, in which the drivers are remotely installed according to user groups.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus forms an image to be printed on paper. The image forming apparatus may include a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile, a multi-function peripheral having two or more functions, etc.
The demand for an office automation system in which the image forming apparatus performs the functions of the scanner, the facsimile, etc. as well as a function of printing a document like a multi-function peripheral has been on the rise. Accordingly, the image forming apparatus has been gradually developed to have higher performance, thereby extending its effective functions.
Thus, to more effectively administer the image forming system including at least one client personal computer (PC, as a host apparatus) connected on a network, a system administrator installs and administers a driver of the image forming apparatus on respective clients.
Specifically, the system administrator remotely accesses each client through a PC provided as an administrator terminal, and performs remote installation such as distributing, installing or deleting software such as a driver.
In performing the remote installation of the driver as described above, the administrator terminal shares the driver installed in a server PC for a specific image forming apparatus shared on the network, and installs the driver through “Point & Print” by a searching and adding process for the image forming apparatus that is shared with each client.
Therefore, in a conventional image forming system supporting the remote installation, the administrator terminal repetitively performs installation work such as searching and adding the shared image forming apparatuses through the “Point & Print” to the respective clients in order to install the driver in the client.
Consequently, time and costs are wasted in the installation work. Also it is inconvenient for the administrator since the same work is performed repetitively.